The impact of policy change on prisoner resettlement and community integration: A case of disproportionate response

The involvement of prisoners on license in the recent London Bridge and Streatham, London attacks have triggered a series of policies aiming to restrict community release. These aim to address not only the point at which prisoners in England and Wales are released, but also the level of engagement prisoners can have with the community before release. They have been introduced with little consultation of the available evidence and, seemingly, with little consideration of those who will be directly impacted as a result of their implementation. This commentary considers how announced changes in policy relating to the use of Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) with prisoners, represent a response which is not only disproportionate to the scale of the problem but may also negatively impact upon prisoner rehabilitation. It draws upon evidence surrounding the impact of early release and evidence surrounding the practices which work to promote desistance from crime to highlight the flaws in these new policies, but also the importance of maintaining community engagement in the rehabilitation of people with convictions.